PETplanet Insider has published an interview with the CEO of PET Technologies. Read the material and find out the details!

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PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 03/23 www.petpla.net
“We need to work and
move forward altogether.
This is the only way to go.”
Russia’s war against Ukraine, which is contrary to international law, has been going on
for a year now. PETplanet spoke to Maxim Poliansky, CEO of PET Technologies, about
production conditions, challenges and his assessment for the coming six months. PET
Technologies plant is located in Chernihiv, in north-eastern Ukraine, about 80km from the
Belarusian border and 140km north of Kyiv.
PETplanet: What is the current
economic situation of the PET and
plastic packaging industry in Ukraine?
Poliansky: The PET container
market in Ukraine is keeping pace
with the global trend: consumption is
growing. This might seem surprising as
several bottlers have ceased opera-
tions, but their share of the market has
been taken over by other producers.
In addition, humanitarian demand has
actually led to this market growing.
The PET container is still the most
economic and at the same time most
effective type of packaging. We are
continuing to see a higher percentage
of rPET in bottles and a trend towards
reducing PET bottle weight. Milk and
vegetable oil is one of the top growth
sectors. The beer market was a little
sluggish in mid-2022, but by the end of
the year it was beginning to move and
Inbev, Carlsberg and some middle-
sized breweries are now coming back
to us with their projects.
PETplanet: What are your current
production conditions?
Poliansky: Manufacturing facilities
of PET Technologies are in full opera-
tion. The number of employees has
not significantly reduced since the war
started. Some people are still abroad,
but 80% of pre-war numbers are work-
ing and that percentage is OK for us.
Indeed, in some professional sectors
we are hiring again. When the Rus-
sians began their full-scale invasion of
Ukraine, we did our utmost to hold on
to our staff and we have achieved this
goal.
As for production conditions we
immediately implemented additional
measures at our manufacturing
facilities: industrial generators were
installed to ensure we had enough
electricity in the case of power cuts,
and we created alternative supply
chains. In this way, all equipment was
produced on time; we have kept to the
lead-times agreed with the customer.
It’s worth highlighting that currently
PET Technologies´ lead-time is about
average for the market average or
even shorter.
Usually, we use the western border
of Ukraine to export equipment. In this
sense, nothing has changed and deliv-
ery times have been unaffected. We
are still selling in Ukraine and export-
ing. Even in 2022 we shipped 3 blow-
ers to the USA.
PETplanet: What are your strate-
gies to lead your company through
these difficult times?
Poliansky: It is now evident that
the Ukrainian economy has not come
to a halt, despite the war. Local manu-
facturers of food and beverages have
invested hundreds of thousands of US
dollars in PET stretch blow-moulding
machines since February 2022!
Ukrainians and Ukrainian business
have a clear vision – we need to work
and move forward altogether. This is
the only way to go.
Our customers worldwide con-
tinue to place orders with PET Tech-
nologies, trusting in Ukraine. Some of
the regions where we have sold our
machines and moulds include Europe,
the Middle East (Saudi Arabia takes a
lot of our moulds) and the Americas.
PET Technologies GmbH, Austria (part
of the PET Technologies group) par-
ticipates significantly in these projects.
This March we will be commencing
manufacture and commissioning of
another machine in the United States,
followed subsequently in Mexico.
PETplanet: What are the biggest
challenges in general and how do you
see the next six months?
Poliansky: People are our princi-
pal resource and our biggest challenge
is to look after them in whatever way
we can. These are people in our com-
pany, together with their families, as
well as our city and country itself. We
consider our mission to maintain the
economic balance of the country. PET
Technologies is not just staying fully
operational, but we are also continuing
to invest in research and development!
We have recently extended our newest
APF-Max series of blow-moulders with
smaller 2 and 3-cavity machines. Soon
they will be launched on the market.
PET Technologies is continuing to
develop into new business directions,
expanding its manufacturing facilities
and we have already invested in new
equipment!
PETplanet: Thank you so much
Maxim.
www.pet-eu.com
by Heike Fischer